Recent Posts

451

Found Deals and Discounts / Hosting with Bluehost for $3.50/mo + a free year of Learnable

« Last post by app103 on March 27, 2015, 04:39 PM »

If you sign up for hosting with Bluehost before June 30, 2015, through the special link on this page, you'll get hosting for $3.50 per month, plus Bluehost will send you a voucher good for 1 free year of Learnable.

http://www.sitepoint...-bluehost-learnable/

_{DISCLOSURE: I work for SitePoint/Learnable but they have not compensated nor encouraged me in any way, to make this post.}

452

Living Room / Re: 10th Anniversary - long time member check-in thread

« Last post by app103 on March 26, 2015, 12:07 AM »

Whenever I have some weird software issue nobody else around me even understands, I know I can always post about it at DonationCoder!

-Jimdoria (March 25, 2015, 02:21 PM)

That quote should be added to the front page!

453

Living Room / Re: The Dreams thread...

« Last post by app103 on March 25, 2015, 12:47 PM »

I had a dream the other night, that I and the regular #donationcoder IRC denizens were trying to survive in a time that was right on the edge of falling into a 'Post-Apocalyptic' scenario ('Mid-Apocalyptic?').  All we had was a raft of canned goods and some rag-tag assemblies of various floating devices (pool toys, rubber rafts, a half-sunk plastic kayak, etc.) in which we tried to escape the chaos by floating down a river with our stuff.  I remember us yelling at each other a lot, usually to call attention to some floating thing that had a leak.   

-Edvard (March 24, 2015, 07:24 PM)

I can see it now.. the people on the raft.. we have water, but it's only tap water.. ok, we can get by.. we have food but it's only dog biscuits.. ok, we can get by.  Now the bad news.. No WiFi!!  Everyone jumps overboard. 

-MilesAhead (March 25, 2015, 05:30 AM)

Except mouser (who has been known to code with pen & paper, just for fun*). He jumps overboard when he discovers the paper is too soggy to write on.

_{*Ask mouser about his days at camp, with no computers, and what he and his friends did to keep themselves entertained.}

454

Living Room / Re: The Dreams thread...

« Last post by app103 on March 23, 2015, 08:42 PM »

All of my flying dreams were nightmares of being chased and then escaping by unintentionally flying away, out of control, followed by falling, with me waking up at the moment of impact. This often alternated with the driving dreams that were quite similar, with an out of control car traveling at high speed and no brakes, that was difficult to steer and ended up going off the side of a bridge into water, with me trapped inside and unable to get out.

Dont know if it's true, but I've heard flying dreams are related to times of big change in life, or very stressful times - like growing up. Around ten years of age would fit that I guess?

-tomos (March 23, 2015, 05:05 PM)

Yes, very stressful times when I felt like I was not in control of my life or direction it was headed. And yes, 10 would be about the age where they came more frequently (coinciding with a traumatic event), but I can remember having the flying ones as young as 5, shortly after starting kindergarten and being exposed to one of the meanest, cruelest teachers I have ever had in my life. To this day, I am still paranoid about fire and being trapped in a burning building, because of something horrible she said to me (which led to reoccurring nightmares of a different sort). She enjoyed scaring the crap out of kids and making them cry. I am pretty sure I am not the only one she gave nightmares to.

455

Developer's Corner / Microsoft Q&A: Azure Mobile Services

« Last post by app103 on March 22, 2015, 01:11 PM »

Sitepoint will be hosting a live, 4 part Q&A on their forum:

Team SitePoint is proud to announce we have 4 Microsoft Q&A sessions being hosted on this very forum. Each 30 minute session focuses on a specific aspect of Microsoft products, the first of which is this Tuesday, 24th March at 9am AEST (click here to find your timezone) on Azure Mobile Services.

Our first session will be facilitated by myself and all questions answered by Microsoft Evangelist Andrew Coates (linkedin | twitter | blog). Andrew Coates has been a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft for over ten years. During that time he’s focused on .Net development on the desktop, in the cloud, on the web and, most recently, on mobile devices. Andrew has a number of apps in various stores and generally has far too much fun doing his job to honestly be able to call it work.

 The four Microsoft Q&A sessions will take place on the following days:

• Tue 24th March
• Thu 26th March
• Tue 31st March
• Thu 2nd April

http://community.sit...bile-services/115931

DISCLOSURE: I work for SitePoint, but they did not pay or encourage me to make this post.

456

Living Room / Re: Windows 10 will be free for "genuine and non-genuine" users

« Last post by app103 on March 20, 2015, 04:43 AM »

So, in order to get a free upgrade to Win10, you have to be willing NOT to do a clean install?

457

N.A.N.Y. 2015 / Re: NANY PRE-RELEASE: Dedicated Windows client for Slack

« Last post by app103 on March 20, 2015, 04:17 AM »

I asked for a special portable edition (no installer needed) which I still have. I could mirror/host/post it if needed.

-Deozaan (March 19, 2015, 02:26 AM)

Can you edit the first post in the thread to add the link? I don't want anyone to have a hard time finding it.

458

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on March 19, 2015, 03:18 AM »

Yes, I installed this, and it's awesome! 


https://github.com/p...csteve/cloud-to-butt

And here is the results, on a serious, in-depth article on cloud computing. Try to read it with a straight face. 

https://dl.dropboxus...3/frenfit/mybutt.png

459

N.A.N.Y. 2015 / Re: NANY PRE-RELEASE: Dedicated Windows client for Slack

« Last post by app103 on March 18, 2015, 10:23 PM »

Where is the file? Slack just released an official Windows app, and yours is better. I can't promote yours if people can't download & try it. 

460

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on March 09, 2015, 01:30 AM »

I am time traveling! 



I have been waiting for this laptop to let me know what an appropriate name for it would be. Now I know. TARDIS!

461

General Software Discussion / Re: uTorrent has gone rogue

« Last post by app103 on March 08, 2015, 12:15 PM »

I don't have a problem with a freeware app coming with a built in Bitcoin miner, provided the users are told about it up front and possibly offered a paid version without the miner, as another option.

462

Living Room / Re: Leonard Nimoy, Dead at 83

« Last post by app103 on March 08, 2015, 11:54 AM »

While some have to do it, I think that many want to do it.  Or, their needs have inflated because of the money that they made in their prime, and now that they aren't, they trade on their heyday.

-wraith808 (March 06, 2015, 05:14 PM)

Twiddling your thumbs gets boring after awhile.

Some people can't sit still and need to always be doing something (like me). And it's reasonable to assume that it's the same with entertainers & athletes. Those that try to do something constructive with their free time, like photography, running a pet store or real estate agency are far better off than those that get themselves in trouble by filling their free time with things like partying, drugs, or booze.

Besides, all professional athletes know they are just 1 major injury away from ending their career. Some (the smart ones) actually make a Plan B to fall back on, just in case. (What's Bo Jackson doing these days?)

463

General Software Discussion / Re: is it possible to easily build a GUI mockup?

« Last post by app103 on March 07, 2015, 02:43 PM »

Download Visual Studio Express or a free version of Borland's RAD Studio and create your mockup with it. You can easily add functionality if needed, in your language of choice, VB, C# or Delphi.

-Ath (March 07, 2015, 02:57 AM)

There is no more free version of RAD Studio, no more free Delphi, C#, or C++ Builder.

I would recommend Lazarus as a good free replacement tool.

464

Living Room / Re: 10th Anniversary - long time member check-in thread

« Last post by app103 on March 07, 2015, 01:29 PM »

I have notified iphigenie, scancode, momonan, on Facebook, and a few others not on your list that I know you would love to hear from. 

465

Living Room / Re: Leonard Nimoy, Dead at 83

« Last post by app103 on February 27, 2015, 03:42 PM »

Confession: At age 6, Mr. Spock was my first crush.

466

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on February 22, 2015, 02:50 PM »

Cop: "I'm a total badass"

DogCop: "ARE YOU TAKING A PHOTO? OMG I WANNA BE IN THE PHOTO"

467

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on February 22, 2015, 01:57 PM »

(Most are around 250~500 GB 10k RPM drives, so not really worth salvaging -- IIRC.)

-Renegade (February 22, 2015, 06:58 AM)

Much larger than the old 80G drives my father recycled by sticking them in USB enclosures, filling them with data (I am deliberately not saying what kind), and giving them as gifts. The recipients were thrilled to get them. 

468

Living Room / Re: Happy New Year! 恭禧發財! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!

« Last post by app103 on February 20, 2015, 05:10 AM »

Happy Year of the Zombie Sheep!

469

General Software Discussion / Re: email notifiers (whew)

« Last post by app103 on February 20, 2015, 04:14 AM »

I have a need to watch more than one Gmail account, and the Gmail Watcher add-on for Firefox can watch up to 3, when using Google multiple sign in mode.

In addition to giving me a toaster style visual alert at the bottom of my screen, which I am not really that interested in, I can also have an optional audio alert, and I have it set with the most obnoxious wav file I can find.

A really nice option this has is how it can be set to automatically max your PC's volume when it plays that wav, then turn it back down to the way it was.

One thing some may not like is how it does require you to have your browser open and you to be logged in to Gmail at all times. Which is not a big deal for me, since I usually have it open, any way, and 2 of my browser tabs are dedicated to keeping me always logged into Gmail.

It's not all that complex, but it will definitely alert me when I have new mail, I can hear it in almost any room of my home (good when doing housework) and even wake me up if I happen to be napping. (which means I can nap during the day and still respond to incoming support tickets within 60 seconds  )

The post explains why it is currently out of consideration, which for many would be a minor issue.

If you need to have it repeat the alarm, it can be set to do that by unchecking the box for "only alert for new additional emails". And the frequency of the alarms would be controlled by the frequency it autochecks for new mail (the slider at the top).



And if you want to use the same obnoxious wav file I am using, you can grab it out of the .zip of my PesterMe app. 

Just imagine that playing at full volume every 60 seconds, till someone reads that e-mail, and you'll understand why I suggested it. 

470

General Software Discussion / Re: stickies Notezilla memoboard as full-blown personal note system

« Last post by app103 on February 17, 2015, 10:18 PM »

April
http://appsapps.info/about.php
Apps Apps
http://appsapps.info/

"And among my payware tools, you'll find Beyond Compare: http://www.scootersoftware.com/
and Notezilla (every project and website gets its own memoboard): http://www.conceptworld.com/Notezilla"

-Steven Avery (February 16, 2015, 09:43 PM)

This is a carry over habit that goes back to my 3M Post-it Software Notes days, where I would build a tabbed memoboard for each project and run into issues with its limitations (max 12 tabs per board, no way to split tabs any further without resorting to mental hacks, using visual cues, such as color & position). Notezilla was a breath of fresh air.

471

General Software Discussion / Re: Reliable Web Hosting for $5 or less?

« Last post by app103 on February 16, 2015, 05:29 PM »

$5 * 12 months = $60 per year.

How about $2 per month, or $20 per year?

DC member pip2kk, who I have known for at least 13 years, owns a hosting company with some very reasonably priced plans: http://www.mycustomh...anel-web-hosting.php

He won't do any hand holding, so if you don't know your way around Cpanel or don't know how to use a real hosting account, it might not be the right web host for you.

472

General Software Discussion / Re: The return of Clippy! Microsoft says more about their digital assistant Cortana

« Last post by app103 on February 12, 2015, 07:55 PM »

The crapware that gets bundled with things like Java is a completely different discussion, because that stuff does get detected and removed by anti-spyware.

-app103 (February 12, 2015, 07:13 PM)

It actually doesn't.  The ask toolbar isn't considered to be malware, at least by any of the scanners that I use.  At most, it's flagged as questionable.  The official Java installer installs the Ask toolbar.  And Oracle is just as large as the other players. And no one says anything about it.

-wraith808 (February 12, 2015, 07:37 PM)

Also, Oracle didn't make the Ask toolbar, while Apple did make iTunes and Siri, Google did make the Google toolbar and the Chrome browser, and Microsoft did make Cortana, and a ton of other crap that I can't recall at this moment.

While Oracle can be blamed for bundling questionable software and with the way they present it in their installer, they can't be blamed for what the Ask toolbar actually contains or does.

Should anti-malware prevent you from installing Java or deactivate/remove Java if it is found on your system? Or just the Ask toolbar, which is not Oracle's product? That is the difference.

473

General Software Discussion / Re: The return of Clippy! Microsoft says more about their digital assistant Cortana

« Last post by app103 on February 12, 2015, 07:13 PM »

So, what does that mean? It's ok when a large corporation creates software that spies on you and collects data for marketing purposes, but not ok when smaller companies create less advanced software, capable of collecting less info, for the same purpose?

-app103 (February 12, 2015, 04:15 PM)

*cough* Java *cough*

It has been annoying me for a while that it can bundle the ask toolbar with it by default selected, and no one calls them on it...

-wraith808 (February 12, 2015, 04:45 PM)

I am talking more about things like the Ask toolbar, itself. Why is that considered unacceptable malware/spyware/adware and things like Cortana, Siri, and Google Now are not? There was quite a few applications in the first generation of this type of software that were quite useful and users went out of their way to install, that collected data on it's users for marketing purposes (Go!Zilla, Flashget, Copernic Shopper, Gator, ZipUpTheWeb, WeatherBug, etc). Why is the new generation of big corporate spyware considered acceptable and not held up to the same standards as the old stuff was subjected to, and that stuff from smaller companies is still subjected to?

-app103 (February 12, 2015, 06:16 PM)

Well, yes, the ask toolbar is bad.  But it is even worse in that it's being bundled with Java.  Like all of these companies are in bed with each other to erode the consciousness of the average consumer to the point where this kind of thing is commonplace and accepted.

-wraith808 (February 12, 2015, 06:40 PM)

I will agree that the Ask toolbar is bad, more because of how it ends up on a user's system. But would someone that actually went to the Ask website and willingly downloaded and installed the toolbar, because they wanted it, feel the same way? There are plenty of people that I know that have gone out of their way to install the Alexa toolbar, which is in the same category. Yes, both are spyware. But they are not more spyware-ish than the Google toolbar ever was, and that toolbar was never flagged by spyware removers.

I willingly downloaded and installed Flashget, and even paid for it (for ad removal), and later on had to tell my anti-spyware software to ignore it and not remove it from my system.

Same with Copernic Shopper (which I miss), and Gator (I used to be a freebie hunter and had to fill out a lot of forms on a daily basis. Gator made it quick & easy, and was the only software like it, that I could find at the time).

All of these were flagged by anti-spyware apps for good reasons...but the new spyware by big companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are not held to the same standards as these apps were, and they are no less spyware than the old stuff was, and in some ways they are even worse.

And that is my point.

The crapware that gets bundled with things like Java is a completely different discussion, because that stuff does get detected and removed by anti-spyware.

When was the last time you saw Spybot S&D or Malwarebytes flag and offer to remove iTunes, Quicktime, Google toolbar, etc. And what is the likelihood that they will ever offer to deactivate/neuter Cortana for you?

474

General Software Discussion / Re: The return of Clippy! Microsoft says more about their digital assistant Cortana

« Last post by app103 on February 12, 2015, 06:16 PM »

So, what does that mean? It's ok when a large corporation creates software that spies on you and collects data for marketing purposes, but not ok when smaller companies create less advanced software, capable of collecting less info, for the same purpose?

-app103 (February 12, 2015, 04:15 PM)

*cough* Java *cough*

It has been annoying me for a while that it can bundle the ask toolbar with it by default selected, and no one calls them on it...

-wraith808 (February 12, 2015, 04:45 PM)

I am talking more about things like the Ask toolbar, itself. Why is that considered unacceptable malware/spyware/adware and things like Cortana, Siri, and Google Now are not? There was quite a few applications in the first generation of this type of software that were quite useful and users went out of their way to install, that collected data on it's users for marketing purposes (Go!Zilla, Flashget, Copernic Shopper, Gator, ZipUpTheWeb, WeatherBug, etc). Why is the new generation of big corporate spyware considered acceptable and not held up to the same standards as the old stuff was subjected to, and that stuff from smaller companies is still subjected to?

475

General Software Discussion / Re: The return of Clippy! Microsoft says more about their digital assistant Cortana

« Last post by app103 on February 12, 2015, 04:15 PM »

Translated into English, that means that the primary function of Cortana (as with Siri and Google Now) is to collect personal information about you to sell your profile to marketers.

-xtabber (February 12, 2015, 12:22 PM)

Once upon a time there was a notorious purple monkey that you could talk to. And because he did that, they called him spyware. His existence was just one of many cases that lead to the the creation and need for anti-spyware applications.



Now we have a new breed of spyware, that for some twisted corporate political reason, it is considered acceptable when they do the same as the old spyware, and the anti-spyware applications do not and will not detect and offer to remove them.

Personally, I do not see the difference between the Cortana, Siri, and the purple monkey, except that the latter was a bit less advanced in its capabilities in both what it could do for the user, and in how much data it could collect about them.

So, what does that mean? It's ok when a large corporation creates software that spies on you and collects data for marketing purposes, but not ok when smaller companies create less advanced software, capable of collecting less info, for the same purpose?